Railway-crossing



(No Model.) Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. B.- MORGAN.-

. RAILWAY CROSSING. I No. 398,654. Patented Nov. 27, 1888.

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(No-Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Q B. B. MORGAN.

RAILWA CROSSING.

No. 393,654. I Patented Nov. 27, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN B. MORGAN, OF ANN ARBOR, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO HENRY P. GLOVER, ENOOH O. BOWLING, AND EDWARD R. E. OOWELL,

ALL OF YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY-CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,654, dated November 27, 1888.

Application filed July 11, 1888. Serial No. 279,678. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. MORGAN, ofAnn Arbor, in the county of Washtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Crossings, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in an improved railway-crossing, hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Figures 1 and 2 are top plan views showing modifications of the connection between the slides; and Fig. 3 is a section on lines a: 00, Fig. 2.

My invention is designed to afford a railwaycrosslng in which the track is not broken when the crossing is complete, and which is simple and not liable to get out of order.

A represents a bed-plate, which is the foundation of the crossing, and which is preferably made of iron, and may be of the relative size compared with the crossing in Figs. 1 and 2, or may be smaller or larger, or may be cutout inside of the crossing, if preferred.

B B and E E represent two lines of railway- 2 5 track crossing each other, said tracks being broken at the four points where they intersect each other.

G and F represent two sliding plates set in bed-plate A, and they may be grooved and dovetailed into the plate by the dovetail S and grooves R, as shown in Fig. 3, though this may be omitted, if desired.

The slides F and G may be held to the plate by having the broken ends of the rails B B and E E project over the edges of said slides, as shown in the drawings, and as these rails are firmly secured to the bed-plate A they of course hold the slides down firmly.

Each slide F and G has seen red thereto two rail-sections, D D, adapted, when the slides are in the position shown in Fig. 1, to complete the rails of the track E E, and has also fastened to it two rail-sections, O 0, adapted, when the slides are in the position shown in Fig. 2, to complete the rails of the track B B. As these rail-sections D and 0 connect with and leave the tracks which respectively complete at an angle varying with the angle of the crossing, their ends and the adjacent ends of the rails B and E are beveled, so that said tracks, when completed by their proper rail-sections, do not present any butt-joints at the crossing, and therefore are smooth under the wheels.

0 represents an ordinary switch-stand, of which N is the crank; and M represents a connecting-rod pivotally fastened to the crank and to the end of the slide G, so that by moving the switch 0 the slide G is reciprocated in such manner as to cause its rail-sections D or O to complete their respective tracks.

I cause the motion of the slide which is operated by the switch to be communicated to the other slide by any desired connection between them, two of which I have illustrated. The connection shown in Fig. 1 consists in a toothed segment, P, pivoted to the bed-plate A at I, and engaging with two racks, Q, one on each of the slides. The arrangement shown in .Fig. 2 consists of a bell-crank lever, J, pivoted to the bed-plate at the point I, having forked ends K, each of which connects with a pin, L, secured to each slide. It is evident that with either of these forms of connection the operated slide is given a movement in the reverse direction of the motion of the operat- 75 ing-slide, and the arrangement of the sections O B on the two slides shown in the drawings is designed for this motion. There are many ways of making this connection or of operating both slides simultaneously from the switch, and if the connection be used which givesthe slides motion in the same direction (speaking approximately) the position of the rail-sections 0 D on either one of the slides, with reference to the crossing, must be reversed.

The slides F and G, where they crosseach other, may be halved together, as shown at H, or either may be bent up or down, as the case may be, to clear the other, or both may be bent, one upward and the other downward.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A railway-crossing consisting of a bedplate, two tracks secured thereto and broken at their intersections, and two reciprocating slides crossing each other, and each carrying on its face four rail-sections, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a railway-crossing, the combination of and (1, adapted to reciprocate in the bed-plate the bed-plate A, with the tracks B and E, the of the crossing and connected together, whererails of said tracks being broken at an angle at by the motion ol one of the slides aetuates the their points of intersection, and the two slides 1 other, substantially as and for the purposes set 5 F and G,eaeh carrying the beveled rail-sections forth. 20

C and D, substantially as shown and described. 5. In a rail \vayerossing, the combination ot' 3. In a railway-crossing, the combination of two tracks broken at their intersections, with the bed plate A, having the two tracks B and sliding plates movableacross each intersection E secured thereto and broken at their points and carrying at each intersection two rail-sec- T0 of intersection, the two slides I and G, set tions in line with the respective track-rails, 25

in said bed-plate, each carrying the four railsubstantially as described. sections (2 I), and having their edges projeet- BENJAMIN l3. MORGAN. ing under the ends of the rails B and It, substantially as shown and described.

:5 t. In a railway-crossing, the two slides i \Vitnesses:

1*. ll. lllniist-zn, (mantles F. Gunman. 

